Tractor



L. C. ERBES.

TRACTOR.

YAPPLICATION FILED APR. I9. 1918.

1 ,332,977. I Patented Mar. 9, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- WITNESSES v 5 2 5222- j 4 v I I I BY HIS HTTOfiNEYS.

L. C. ERBES.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 19. 1918.

Patented Mar. 9,1920.

2 SHEETS-3HEET 2 WIT/1.223555w 1 UNITEDSTATES Louis 0. EBB orsr. PAUL, Mmnnsora.

' To all whom if may concern Be it known thatl, LOUIS C. Emails, a citizen of the United States, residing at St.

'Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new; and usefulImprovements in Tractors; and I do hereby declare the following to be .a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which'itappertains to makeand use the 1 same.

7 My present invention relates to tractors and 7 involves certain features'disclosed and broadly clalmed 1n my companion appl1- cation, S. N. 229,626 filed OfdatedA'pril 19,

1918, and entitled Tractor? Particularly, the present invention is directed to that type of tractor which is made byc'onverting an automobile, such as a Ford, for exahiple, into a tractor by substitution of traction wheels andcertain cooper- 7 ating devices.

panying drawings wherein like characters The invention is illustrated in the accomindicate like parts throughout the several views. p

Referring tothedraw'ingsz V Figure 1 is plan view of the tractor with some parts sectioned and with the forward struction-such as the standard automobile construction, removed;

" Fig. 21s a rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1-; p

Fig. 3 is a plan viewi of ione of the framelike so-called radius farinsgf y "Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the devices for. vertically adjusting the "radius "arms; and i I Fig. "5 is asection taken approximately on the line 5 '5 of Fig.4, some parts being broken away.

' tube, and the numeral 8 indicates the rectangularmam frame.

The divided rear axle 'oftl'ieautomobileis left in place, but the orthereof "driving 'pinions 10, preferably of the lantern 1 gear type, are applied on the oute'r'rim's of thesaid axles so'that in the portion, which may be of'any approved condinary traction wheels removed, and in lieu rancron.

V Specification of Letters Patent; 7 Patented. Mar, 9, 1920, Application filed April 19,1918. serial No. 229,625. A

axle is utilized as a divided jack shaft.

Detachably, but rigidly bolted, or otherwise secured to the rear portion of the main transformed tractor the. said divided rear framefSis a supplemental frame made up,

as shown, ofrside bars 11, front cross bar 12 and I longitudinally spaced transverse rear bars 13. The front bar 12 is secured, pr'ef erablyby bolts, to the side bars of the main frame '8. The intermediate portions ofthe side bars 11 are secured to the upper ends of brackets 1%, the sleeve-like lower ends 0f which are rigidly clamped onto the rear axle,

casin 6.

Approximately; rectangular frame like radius arms 15,1at their front ends have prongs formed with divided; sleeves 15 that embrace the rear axle casing 6 and pivotally mount the said arms for vertical pivotal movements. At thelr free or rear-ends, the sald arms 15, are formed with axially alined,

laterally spaced sleeves, preferably also divided andboltedtogether, and clamped onto the sections 16 ofa divide'd rear axle.

The rear tractionwheelsl'? of'thetractor. are secured on the outerfends of the axle sections 16, but may,beotherwisejournaled to the free portionsiof the radius arms. It' Wlll, of course, be understood that the "sections 9 of the divided axle whichinow serves as a jack shaft are driven through theordinary differential gear mechanism of the automobile proper. The heretofore noted pinions 10 mesh with large annular internal gears 18 rigidly'secur'ed to the rimslof the traction whee1'17.fi The radius farms 15am, of course, held against lateral or sliding movements on the rear axle casing and, as

shown, this is accomplished by the hubs of V .1the pinions 10'and the sleeves of the brackets 14. Also, of course,' ;the" sections 13 of the rear axle proper areheld against'a-Xial move 'ments in the radius arm's. 1

For vertically adjusting the radius arms 15 I vices preferably provide the following de The numeral 19. indicates a transverse adjusting' shaft located between'the rear frame bars 13 and'mounted in suitable bearingson said bars and on the 'side"bars 11." At its central portionthisadjusting shaft 19 is provided with-ra worm gear 20 that meshes with a worm21 on the lower end ofan ad- V justing shaft which shaft is journaled in are guided by brackets 2" suitable hearings on the bars 13, and is provided at its front end with a hand wheel 23. On each side of the worm gear, 20, the shaft 19 is provided with twospur pinions These spur pinions mesh with rack bars 25 which at their low ends are pivotally connectedto lugs 26 O; the sleevedike ends of the respective radius bars 15 (see particularl Fig. '5). The said "rack bars secured on the bars 11 and by rollers join-nailed to said brackets and tosaidbu and en, ge the backs of the rack bars. This duplex arrange ment of the racks and pinious is desirable because it equalizes the strain of the oppoeach radius 7 It is new important to note that t 1e rack site sides of the respective frame-like radius arms, but a s1 gle rackbar and pinion for arm would eperate.

bars for the two radius arms are on obno- 'site' sides of the respective pinions, towit,

shown, the-righthand rack bars in front of the pinions and the lefthand rack bars are at the rear of the pinions.

With this arrangement, 1 is evident, when the adjusting shaft 19' is rotated in a con stant direction, one of the radius arms 15 will be lowered, while the other will be raised. Obviously, when :the radius arms 7 are in alinement, or at the same elevation,

the two traction wheels will be set at the same height with the truck frame horlzontal or level, When, however, it 1s desired to run one of the traction wheels in a furrow,

, for example, while the other is run on plowed round, the wheel tolruin in the furrow will be loweredto such an extent as atractor, the rear wheels-of the iilllJOll'lOl'JllB' will leave the true ..ra1ne level. Also in running on a steep side hill, it is an easy adjustment the traction wheels.

for thereason that said: radius arms not only yhave a pivotal .moveinent on the rear axle casing 6, butmove pivotallv around the pro- JBCtE-Cl axes otthe traction wheels 17.

In converting an ordinary automobile into are removed andthe pinions 10 secured to v the supplemental frame of the attachment the ends vof' thesaid rear axle as substitutes for the ren'iovedtractionwheels. Then and the radius arms thereof are connectedto the rear axle casing and thus the transformation into the tractor is accomplished. Of course, the body of the automobile should he and'usually Wlll be removed although this mavnot always be necessary.

The attachment described is of comparatively small cost, and affords not only a highly eliicient, butyoomparatively cheap 7 rear latter is'converted into a divided aclr shaft,

radius arms pivotally mounted on said'rearaxle casing, main tractionlwheels jeurnaled to said radius arms, and gears carried by said in sin traction wheelsand meshing with said'pinions. V o

2; The combination with a frame, rear axle casino" aud divided rear axle of an automobile, of asu iplemental frame secured to said main frame, pinions applied to the ends of the divided rear axle whereby the latter is converted into a divided jack shaft, radius arms pivotally mounted on said rear axle easing, ma n traction wheels Joirrnaled to said radlus arms, gears carr ed by said main traction wheels and meshingwith said pinions, and means for vertically adjusting and looking at least one of said radius arms in respect to the other. v

3. The combination with a frame, a rear axle casing and divided rear axle of an automobile, of a supplemental frame-secured to said main frai'ne"pini0ns an lied to the ends of the divided rearaxle whereby the latter is converted into a divided jack shaft,

radius arms pivotally mountedon said rear axle casing, main traction wheels journaled to said radiusarms, gears caried by said main traction wheels and meshing with said pinions, rack bars attached at the rear ends to the free portions of said radius arms and rising therefrom, an adjusting shaft mounted on said supplemental frame and provided with pinions' meshing with; said rack bars, and means forrotating'and lockingsaidadjusting shaft;

i. The combinationwith a frame, a rear axle casingand divided rear axle of an automobile, efa supplemental frame secured to said main frame, pinions applied to the ends ter is converted into adivided jack shaft,

, radius arms pivotally mounted on said rear axle casing, main traction wheels journaled to said radius arms, gears carried by said main traction wheels and meshing with said pinions, rack bars attached at the rear ends to the free portions of said radius arms and rising therefrom, an adjusting shaft mounted on said supplemental frame and of the divided rear axlewhereby the latprovided with pinions meshing with said opposite sides of cooperating pinions whereby one of sald rad us arms Wlll be ra sed while the other is being lowered.

5. In a tractor, the combination with-a frame, of a rear axle casing carried bysaid frame, a divided axle structurejournaled in the said casing and acting as a jack shaft and having pinions applled to the outer: ends thereof, frame-like radius arms plvotedon said rear axle, main traction wheels jour-- naled tothe free portions of the said radius;

arms and provided with internal. meshing with said pinions, and means for adjusting vertically one of the said radius arms in respect to'the other.

6. In a tractor, the COHlblllrLillODhK illha journaled to thefree portions of the said I radius arms and provided, with internal 7 gears meshing with said pinions, means for adjusting vertically one of the said radius arms in respect tor-the other, said 'vmeans comprising a transverse adjusting shaft,

means for rotating and locking said adjusting shaft on rack bars attached to the free portions of said radius arms andrising therefr0m,guides on saidframe forthe upa per portions of said rack bars, and pinions on said adjusting shaft meshing with the teeth of-said rack bars, the rack bars that adjust difierent radiusarms being on 'op-' posite sides of cooperating pinions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, Witnesses CLARA DEMAREST,

EvA E. Kerrie.

1 VLOUIS o. ERBES.-'-' 

